I submitted my common application and all other materials ~10 days before the deadline, then I realized ~10 days after the deadline that I hadn’t added my reccomenders, because it’s optional, so the field was marked as complete. I added them, and they were sent.
I’m assuming this pushed me into the regular applicant pool. Anyone know for sure? I can’t find anything about it on my application portal.
You just needed to submit the Common App and USC supplement by Dec. 1st to be considered for merit scholarships (it isn’t traditional EA) since recommendations aren’t required by USC. If your portal lists the recommendations as received, then they will be considered along with the rest of your application. If they aren’t listed, your application may be reviewed for merit without them. In that case, you could contact them to let them know they were submitted.